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The iPad is definitely selling like the proverbial hotcakes. But it's interesting to see some of the unusual places welcoming the tablet and, conversely, some of the places that are somewhat rejecting its presence.

Although it was never beyond the realm of possibility, the medical community is taking an interest in the iPad at a rate that may even surprise Apple. In addition to the countless doctors and private medical practices that now utilize the iPad's services, some hospitals are beginning to purchase the tablet computer in bulk. Kaweah Delta hospital in California, for example, just purchased one-hundred iPads for its treatment facility. Officials at the hospital say that the iPads will replace hospital laptops for every day use. Not only will iPads be employed for routine administrative tasks, they will also be tapped for activities like reviewing X-ray images and EKG results.

While the iPad still isn't cheap by any stretch of the imagination, in the medical field, however, the iPad isn't all that expensive either. Some touch-screen devices widely used in hospitals cost upwards of five times as much as the basic iPad. In this regard, putting the iPad to use in hospitals could result in substantial savings for the medical facilities that embrace the device.

Of course, what's hot to a hospital may not be so cool to a college. More than a few college campuses around the US have begun complaining about the iPad causing problems for available Wi-Fi networks. The most high-profile example of such is the situation now unfolding at Princeton University. As a result of widespread IP address confusion, Princeton has already begun "banishing certain iPads from its network" as roughly half of all the iPads on Princeton's network have had issues thus far. Although the IT geniuses at Princeton are tinkering with a plausible workaround for the problem, the situation at Princeton has been playing out at several other college campuses as well.

Ultimately, it appears that the iPad will eventually find a prominent home in both hospitals and institutions of higher learning. For now, however, the medical community may very well have a leg up on its collegiate counterpart in putting the iPad to swift and efficient use.
Image via hdghmi